Self-propelled sled.



No. 766,173. PATENTED AUG. 2, 1904.

J ERDELYI & L. DAVIS. SELF PROPELLED SLED.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 26. 1904.

NO MODEL.

Patents; Augus'. 2, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN ERDELYI AND LEO DAVIS, OF NE YORK, N. Y.

SELF-PROPELLED SLED.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 766,173, dated August 2, 1904.

Application filed April 26 1904.

To all, whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JOHN ERDELYI and LEO DAVIS, both residents of Brooklyn, Kings county, in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self-Propelled Sleds, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to that class of sleds which are adapted to be manually propelled by means of actuating-levers and propellingrods; and the present invention has for its object to provide a simplified and inexpensive sled of this character wherein the stroke of the propelling-rods may be readily regulated and wherein also the jarring and undue bouncing effects heretofore encountered in such sleds by the action of the propelling-rods striking against the ground will be practically eliminated or reduced to a minimum.

To these and other ends, which will hereinafter appear, our invention consists in the novel features of improvement and combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter set forth and finally summarized in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, wherein- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a sled embodying our invention, and Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical central section of the cushioning means detached from the sled.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts, 1 indicates the top or seat of an ordinary sled. 2 2 are the vertical posts supporting the same; 2 2, the runners, and 2" indicates the cross-bar or foot-rest connecting the runners at the front, the same being preferably disposed on a plane slightly below the seat 1.

13 indicates an actuating hand-lever, pivoted at 15 to a bracket or support 14 upon the front post 2.

6 indicates what we term the propelling or pusher rod or staff, the extreme forward end thereof being threaded and bent inwardly at a right angle, so as to provide a pivot-pin adapted to enter one of the series of openings 12 in the actuating-lever, the same Serial No. 204,939. (No model.)

being retained in position by a nut 10, as shown.

3 indicates a bracket attached to the rear post 2 and provided with a slot 4, vertically disposed, in which loosely slides a stud or pin 5, suitably confined in said slot and which is provided with a head having an angular-lydisposed opening and with an angularly-disposed hollow extension or sleeve 5, registering with the opening in the head, through which the propellingrod 6 passes and is guided in its actuating movements.

8 indicates a spiral coiled spring wound upon the propelling-rod 6, and 9 indicates a lug or abutment against which the said spring exerts its forward pressure, so as to normally maintain the actuating-lever 13 in the position shown in the drawings and assist in bringing the same forward to this position after each backward movement thereof.

5 indicates a flange or abutment upon the sleeve 5, against or to which the other end of the spring 8 impinges or is secured; but the sleeve 5 may be dispensed with and the spring 8 secured directly to the head of the sliding stud 5 in suitable manner.

To prevent undue jarring or vertical lifting or bouncing of the sled caused by the rapid striking of the end of the propellingrod against the ground during the propelling operation, we provide what may be termed a cushioning device, consisting of a spiral spring 5, vertically disposed, the upper end of which is preferably secured to the vertically-movable stud 5, the lower end of said spring being secured to a short extension or ledge 3 of the bracket 3. The rear end of the propelling-rod 6 is preferably provided with a slight downwardly-bent point 7 to readily penetrate the snow or ice in the propelling movements of the rods 6.

The sled is provided with the described devices in duplicate, one on each side, as shown, and in operation the person seated upon the sled places his feet against the foot-rest or rod 2 and manipulates the pivoted levers 13 back and forth, thereby actuating the connected propelling-rods 6 in obvious manner, which by their resistance to the ground tend to push the sled forward. The propellingrods being yieldingly held by their connection with spring 5 and movable sliding stud 5, a cushioning effect is produced, whereby the tendency to jarring or lifting of the sled by the rapid actuation of the propelling-rods is practically eliminated or reduced to a minimum.

By means of the graduated series of openings 12 in the actuating-levers 13 we have provided a simple and efficient means for regulat ing the stroke of the propelling-rods, it being merely necessary in order to obtain a shorter or longer stroke to connect the forward ends of the propelling-rods to the desired opening in the lever 13 in obvious manner.

It will be noted that the parts constituting our improved propelling and cushioning means may readily be attached to sleds of ordinary construction Without reconstruction of such sleds.

It will also be understood that some of the minor details of construction hereinbefore described may be varied without departing from the spirit of our invention.

hat we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a sled, of propelsled, provided with a vertically-disposed slot,

a stud confined in and slidable along said slot, the stud having a transverse opening in its head in which the propelling-rod is guided, and a spring connected with said stud, all arranged substantially as and for the purpose herein shown and described.

JOHN ERDELYI. LEO DAVIS.

Witnesses:

B. P. BLooK, ANNA HEITNER. 

